Best Friends
by mp6nov
Summary: Buffy and Angel are best friends who love each other. What happens when words get in the way? Bad summary, please read.
1. Prologue

Best Friends  
  
Summary: Buffy and Angel are best friends. They each like each other, but words get in the way. Will their love for each other fix the problems words create?  
  
Disclaimer: No characters are mine. They belong to Joss. This story is actually not mine either. I read it in a book a while ago and I thought it would make a great BA story. So here we go...  
  
Rating: Probably PG or so.  
  
Spoilers: None, as this is an AU fic.  
  
A/N: I realize that I have a couple other stories out there, and that they are nowhere near being done. Sorry to any of you waiting for more, if there are any of you. I promise to talk to my muse soon about coming up with more ideas. But right now, my muse said to me, "Take that one story you read in a book and make it BA. Since it's already written, all you have to do is change it to Buffy and Angel." I must always listen to my muse.  
  
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Prologue  
  
Buffy Summers was bored. The summer had started out with a bang. Her best friend Willow had thrown a huge party for all the kindergarteners to kick off the summer. Well, really, Mrs. Rosenburg had thrown the party and invited everyone in Willow's kindergarten class. But still, it had been a great party. There was food, soda, and a huge pool. Willow and Buffy had spend the whole party swimming with Alexander Harris. "Xander" had moved to Sunnydale a little under a year ago, but he was part of the group. But anyway, the summer had seemed like it was going to be great fun. Buffy was going to spend time with Willow and Xander, swimming in the Rosenburg's pool and playing card games and going to the park. They were so excited. But then the collective bubble burst as Willow's parents packed her off to vacation in Arizona. And then came one of the worst things Buffy had ever imagined.  
  
Xander's father had gotten another transfer. Even though it was only to Los Angeles, it was still very sad for everyone involved. Buffy had spent a week moping in her room, and not even the exciting news of a new baby sibling could cheer her up. But then, her heart had mended, as was the way of 5-year-olds. She would miss her best friend Xander, but she had a new baby on the way. And Willow was coming back a month early from vacation. Now all she had to do was wait until the end of July. Buffy went inside and stood on the stool to look at the calendar. She had three more weeks of boredom before Willow came home. So she tried to occupy herself until her fun red-headed best buddy came back and they could play together, but there were only so many times you could go to the park by yourself. Or play solitaire instead of go fish. So mostly Buffy just sat on her porch and watched the clouds floating by. Sometimes she watched movies, but those got tiring after a while too. Then one day, something happened that forever changed her boredom days.  
  
Buffy was sitting on her front porch, as usual, staring at the "For Sale" sign on the house directly across the street from hers, wishing hard that someone her age would move in there. Two minutes later, it seemed as if a magical fairy had granted her wish. The street rumbled with a moving truck. It pulled into the driveway of 1631 Revello Drive. A little black car pulled up beside it. The back door opened, and out stepped a little boy, who looked to be about 5 or 6. Buffy jumped up, ran into her house, yelled that they had new neighbors, then ran out the door again to greet them. She skidded to a stop in front of the boy and looked at him. He had dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He was dressed in dark colors, with black pants and a maroon short sleeved shirt. Buffy decided that he looked nice enough and held out her hand.  
  
"Hi, I'm Buffy and I live right across the street, right there. See, that's my house and that's my mommy and daddy. How old are you? I'm almost 6 and I'm gonna be in first grade next year." She finally stopped talking and let the boy answer her questions.  
  
"My name's Liam, but please call me Angel. I'm 6 and I'm gonna start first grade next year too. This is my mommy, and my daddy's coming tomorrow. He had to work."  
  
"Why do you wanna be called Angel? Isn't that sorta a silly name?"  
  
"Yours is Buffy. That's silly too." Then he stuck out his tongue.  
  
"Yes, but my mommy named me. At least it's my real name. Your real name is Liam, which isn't as silly as Angel. So there." And she stuck out her tongue. Then they both laughed, and just like that, the two became good friends. 


	2. Chapter 1

Best Friends  
  
A/N 2: Thanks to all of you who reviewed. I appreciate the encouragement. And now, back to your regularly scheduled story.  
  
{{denotes thoughts}}  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
*10 years later*  
  
"Hi, guys! Whatcha doin?" Buffy's little sister Dawn bounced into the room, occupied by Buffy and her best friend Angel.  
  
The two were lying on the bed trying to decide what movie to watch. It was snowing outside, and they were tired of sledding and snowball fights. It was only the third day of winter break, and already they were bored. They were deciding between The Matrix or Kate and Leopold. Buffy, of course, really wanted the chick flick, but she also greatly enjoyed the sci- fi action thriller.  
  
"Ew, you guys are having sex. Gross!" The ten-year-old had learned about the nasties in life at a premature age. Being a little kid, she was both fascinated and disturbed by how children were created.  
  
"Dawn, I would appreciate it if you GOT THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!!!" Buffy screamed at her little sister.  
  
She wanted to spend time with her closest friend. And she didn't want her annoying brat of a sibling in there distracting them from the movie, whichever they chose. Dawn's eyes filled with tears and she went running out of the room to go tattle on her sister. Buffy reluctantly got up and shouted to her mother that she wanted to be left alone. Then she firmly shut her door. She and Angel argued back and forth about the movie, and finally decided to watch both. Buffy gave in on which to watch first and they popped The Matrix into the DVD player.As they lay there watching the movie, Buffy rested her head against Angel's shoulder. He rested his head on top of hers. And that was the moment when everything changed.  
  
Buffy felt a tingling in the pit of her stomach, but ignored it at first. Then it happened again, so she got up to make some popcorn. Angel asked if she wanted to pause the movie, but she just shook her head and went downstairs to the microwave. After making two huge bowls of the buttery snack, Buffy went back upstairs. On the way, she realized that the tingling in her stomach was no longer there. But she couldn't figure out why. She kicked her bedroom door, but it was firmly shut so it didn't open. Just as she was about to put down one of the bowls so she could open the door, the knob turned and Angel stood on the other side.  
  
All at once, the tingling started again. He smiled and reached for one of the bowls; their hands touched, and Buffy felt electricity shock through her entire body. The tingling intensified. Buffy just stood there, thinking quietly to herself. She settled back onto the bed, but in a different position than she had previously been in. And she left a fair amount of space between herself and Angel. He noticed the difference and sat up with her, snuggling closer to steal some of her popcorn. Once again, Buffy felt a sharp prickling in the pit of her stomach.  
  
{{Oh no.}} she thought. {{No no no noNONONO!!!! I can't be falling for Angel, I just can't. He's always been there for me. Which is adorable. And he always knows how to make me feel better. And his smile is just so darn cute. But no, I can't suddenly love him. I'll just have to stop it. Stop thinking bad thoughts about how yummy he'd look naked. No, bad Buffy. Stop it. Concentrate on the movie.}}  
  
She got caught up in the trials of Neo, and soon forgot about her newfound feelings of attraction with Angel. Or so she thought.  
  
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All he had done was simply rest his head on top of hers, something so normal, so friendly-like. But as they lay there, her head on his shoulder, his head on hers, he realized how perfect they would be dating. Her entire body fit perfectly next to his, and they knew everything about each other. He knew that she smelled of vanilla, whether she used perfume or not. She knew how to make him laugh when he was down, how to cheer him up. They each knew how annoyed the other always was with younger sisters. And they had their own spot, the one place no one knew about except them.  
  
He was stirred from his musings by Buffy's literal stirring. She murmured something about getting food ,and Angel simply nodded. He stared at the TV, watching the movie in an attempt to change his train of thought. Instead, watching Carrie-Anne Moss, he started thinking about how hott Buffy would look in leather. He once again was jolted out of his fantasies, by a pounding on the door. He got up and opened it to find Buffy standing there with two huge bowls of steaming buttery popcorn.  
  
He reached for one and, in doing so, touched her. He felt the electricity of the system jolt through his system. He hurried over to the bed and began eating, trying to act involved in the movie. He realized that he needed to act normal, like everything was the same as it always had been. So when he realized that she was sitting differently, he immediately switched positions as well. He snuggled up to her, allowing one quick shiver of happiness to run through him, and started eating her popcorn.  
  
Then the phone rang, and both their worlds were changed. 


	3. Chapter 2

Best Friends  
  
Chapter 2  
  
The phone rang and Buffy reluctantly got up, leaving Angel on the bed. She walked slowly over to the phone, pressing pause on the DVD player before picking it up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Buffy? Oh my god, you'll never guess what I just found out."  
  
"Hey, Will. What did you just find out?"  
  
"Well, do you remember Xander?"  
  
"That kid we were really good friends with in kindergarten, but then he had to move? Sure I remember him, why?"  
  
"Well he's moving back, for good. His parents got divorced, and his mom really loved this place so she's decided to move back and she has custody of Xander so he's moving back with her and that means that we'll get to see him again. Do you think that he'll remember us and wanna hang out with us still, even though it was like ten years ago? Or do you think he'll be way too cool for us, I mean he used to live in LA. That's like cool beyond cool."  
  
"Willow, breathe. You know that thing you do that helps you live. I guess we'll just see what he's like when we get back to school in a few weeks. He is going to Sunnydale High, right?"  
  
"Yeah, he is. I don't know if I can wait that long though, Buff. Hey! I have an idea. Let's you and me go over on like Friday and welcome him back to town. Maybe we can invite him to hang with us at the Bronze that night too. What do you think?"  
  
"Alright, I'll come with you, only because I know you'll probably beat me if I don't. We still on for our sleepover Thursday?"  
  
"Yeah, actually it works out well. Because then we'll already be together on Friday and we can just meander on over to the Harris'."  
  
"K, I'll see you then, Wils. Luv ya. Bye."  
  
"Yup, can't wait. Luv ya too. Bye."  
  
Buffy turned to Angel, who was lying on the bed with an extremely odd look on his face. She asked him if he was ok, and he replied he felt funny.  
  
"Oh you are so not getting out of watching Kate and Leopold that easily. I command that you feel better right this instant."  
  
He smiled and nodded, and Buffy popped in the chick flick. As they sat there watching, she wondered what Angel would look like in the 1800's. {{Probably pretty damn yummy. Just like he does now. No, stop. No more bad thoughts about your best friend.}} She settled back, subconsciously snuggling next to Angel and watching the love story unfold. She sighed at all the right moments, and said out loud how she wished for love like that.  
  
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Angel heard the phone ring, and mentally cursed it for making Buffy move from her position next to him. He watched her answer the phone and listened to her end of the conversation. His ears perked up at the mention of some boy. He vaguely remembered five-year-old Buffy mentioning how he was a much better replacement for a friend she had that had moved away. From the sound of it, that particular friend was back. And Willow, Buffy's other best friend and a good friend of his own, was asking Buffy to come with her to visit this other boy. And she was agreeing. He was very disappointed that, but quickly hid it. At least he thought he had.  
  
He suddenly realized that Buffy was no longer on the phone and was instead asking him if he was ok. He replied that he actually wasn't feeling too well, but she had laughed at him, saying that he didn't get out of watching the chick flick that easily. He smiled and nodded. She put the movie in and went to lie on the bed beside him. He couldn't help but notice that she snuggled up to him during the movie. {{Maybe she returns my feelings. Wait, am I actually having feelings? Am I really starting to like my best friend? We've known each other for 10 years, been good friends. Can we spoil that by starting a relationship?}} He shook himself out of his thoughts and instead concentrated on the movie. Thoughts of dating Buffy were giving him a slight headache, so he watched as a dude from a different time fell in love with a pretty hott Meg Ryan in this time. He noticed Buffy sighing at the end of the movie and inquired about what was wrong.  
  
"I just want to find a guy that hott who will fall in love with me too. Stupid girly feelings, I know. But still..." She drifted off and left them both alone with their thoughts.  
  
{{What if you already have found that guy. What would you say I wonder if I told you that I was in love with you? Wait, Angel man, in love with her? Maybe that's too strong of a statement. Right now you're just crushing. But still, how would she act if she knew that? Maybe I'll just keep these feelings to myself. Don't want to ruin any friendships.}}  
  
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{{I wonder what Angel would say if I told him the real reason I was just sighing. Because I think I'm crushing on you, and it sucks seeing those two live happily ever after. I really do want a guy as hott as Hugh Jackman who will fall in love with me. But I want that hott guy to be you, Angel. I don't know how he'd feel about that. Plus, my Angel is incredibley hott.... But as hott as Hugh Jackman Buffy? Oh well, I'll decide later. Right now I gotta think of some way to hide these feelings.}} 


	4. Chapter 3

Best Friends  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Buffy and Angel were lying on her bed thinking about each other, when the phone rang again. Buffy got up to answer it and was slightly disappointed to find Angel's mom on the other end.  
  
"Buffy? Hi, it's Jenny. I was just wondering if Angel was over there now?"  
  
"Hi, Jenny. And of course he is, where else would he be?"  
  
Laughing, Jenny Giles replied, "Very true. Well, as much as I love having my constantly-hungry son out of my house, he does need to come home soon. *Kathy, will you get out of your brother's room. He's not home to yell at you.* Sorry about that Buffy. Anyway, please tell that boy of mine that if he wants his room to be the same as when he left, he better get home soon."  
  
"Alrighty, Jenny. And before you ask, I'll remind my slightly forgetful mother about your guys's weekly coffee day. I'll talk to ya later. Bye."  
  
Smiling, Buffy hung up the phone and turned to Angel. Their families were very close to each other, and Buffy felt that Jenny was like a second mother to her. She told Angel that his mom wanted him home. He slowly got off the bed and began getting his boots and heavy winter jacket on, very slowly. She added that his sister was in him room, and watched laughingly as he instantly began to dress more hurriedly. He gave her a quick hug, which caused extra tinglies, then ran from the room. He shouted a quick thanks and bye to Joyce, and ran across the street as fast as the snow would allow. Buffy watched him from her window, laughing. As soon as he was inside, she sighed and tried to distract herself from her newfound feelings.  
  
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Thursday came and went. Buffy and Willow spent almost the whole evening gossiping and watching movies. They finally went to bed around 1 in the morning, agreeing to go see Xander at around 11 in the morning the next day. Friday morning came, and Joyce made chocolate chip pancakes for the girls. As they went upstairs to get ready for their visit to their old childhood friend, Joyce relaxed with a cup of coffee. She was glad that Dawn was spending the night with the Giles's because it meant that she would have some peace and quiet.  
  
Buffy shouted good-bye to her mom, and she and Willow began the trek through the snow to get to the Harris house. They rang the doorbell, and Mrs. Harris was pleasantly surprised to see them. She remembered how quickly they had accepted Xander as a friend last time they had moved to Sunnydale. She welcomed them in, offering to make hot chocolate for the three 15-year-olds. They gratefully agreed and went upstairs to see how ten years had changed their first male friend.  
  
Xander had been on his bed, moping over the move and the fact that he had to leave his girlfriend from South America, Ampata, behind. The knock on his bedroom door startled him out of his reverie. He opened the door, expecting to find his mom, and instead found his two childhood pals. Shocked, but happy he reached out and hugged them both. They sized each other up, and the two girls found that Xander had grown up to a pretty cute boy. He found that both girls were pretty, although Willow was a more innocent-pretty and Buffy was more of a knockout-pretty. All three instantly decided that they wanted to reform their bond of friendship. And so Xander joined their group.  
  
A/N: Sorry it's so short guys. But this was the best stopping point for this chapter. The next one flashes ahead a few years. Also, I just thought it would be really funny if Xander's ex-girlfriend in this alternate universe was the mummy who fell in love with him in the Buffyverse. Anyway, please review. Hope you're enjoying this story. 


	5. Chapter 4

Best Friends

**A/N**: Sorry I haven't written in years (literally, almost 4). My life has been so incredibly weird and hectic and rushed and so many other adjectives I can't even come up with them all. I'm in college now, which was a big adjustment, and then I just sorta never got around to writing more. But the other day, I had someone subscribe to my stories, and it got me thinking about writing again. So, I sat down and re-read this story (which made me realize how much I've grown as a writer since then, lol) and decided to make some time in my life to write. So, since it's only the beginning of the semester, and I haven't been swamped with insane amounts of work yet, I thought I'd give it a shot.

**A/N 2**: Since I haven't written in so long, I don't 100 remember where I was going with the overall story. I remember the basic plot between B/A (especially since it wasn't really all my own) but I have no idea what I was planning on doing for the other characters. So I decided to focus on them a little bit more to flesh out the story, and to give me something to write about besides just Buffy and Angel. (Because as much as I love them, there's only so much build-up and angst I can take.) So sorry if anyone feels that Xander's and Willow's stories come out of nowhere, but I hope you enjoy it all.

**A/N 2.5:** The characters are around 17 now. Because it's my story, I'm making them in the later half of junior year. I was 17 then, so it does work out age wise. They'll be turning 18 during their senior year. Just wanted to clarify that in case anyone would be confused by the age/school relation.

'_italics_' means thoughts (unless it's like a word for emphasis, but I think I didn't do that this chapter)  
"..." means dialogue

Chapter 4

**2 years later**

"Ugh! How did she manage to make it to junior year? All she cares about is herself and her clothes and her money," Xander complained as Cordelia Chase walked by. She was the reigning 'Queen Bitch' at Sunnydale High, and Xander loved to berate her.

"She isn't stupid," Buffy semi-defended. Personally, she didn't really like Cordy very much, but she suspected Angel did. (In fact, she didn't like him _because_ she suspected Angel did.) "She has interesting points in class because they're all from her privileged point of view. Plus, she's a master at sucking up. The only one who sees through her is Snyder, and that's just because he despises all of us."

"Which, you think would have led him to choose a different career path than anything involving kids." Willow came back from grabbing a soda just in time to hear Buffy's mention of their really nasty principal. She joined her two best friends on the bench. When informed that they had actually been talking about Cordelia, she smirked at Xander. After she had gotten over her own crush on the dark-haired boy, she figured out that he secretly liked Cordy. The reason he was always complaining and making fun of her was his coping mechanism for the fact that they probably would never get together. Cordy was nice enough, but way too conceited to ever really think about dating someone "beneath" her socially.

Xander saw his friend smiling and inquired what she was thinking about.

"Oh nothing," the redhead replied. "Just some interesting Willow thoughts."

Before any of them could discuss anything further, the bell rang and the trio got up. Walking inside together, they commented on how they hoped the windows inside were open since it was such a nice day. Once through the main double doors, they split off to head to their separate classes.

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Buffy walked into her English class and immediately noticed Angel. He was kinda hard to miss as he had shot up a couple feet in the past couple years. _'Plus, he has that amazingly soft dark brown hair, and those leather pants he started wearing last semester. Yummy! Oh Buffy, why can't you just get over it already? It's enough that you're best friends still, isn't it? Even if he does have Cordelia constantly fawning over him – he still makes time to hang out with you._'

Angel glanced up in the middle of Buffy's musing and immediately stood up to beckon her over, interrupting Cordy's babbling. The curly haired brunette huffed at the interruption, then stalked away offended. I don't know why that girl keeps chasing after me. I thought I made it pretty clear that I didn't want any kind of relationship to develop. Even though she's not really given me any hope, I can't seem to find anyone that I want to date as much as Buffy. So I'll settle for just being her friend, and hope that one day I'll work up the courage to change that. Buffy sat down in the seat that Angel had saved for her, but before they could exchange more than a simple "hello," the teacher walked in and began the lecture.

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Willow walked into her computer class, and smiled at Jenny Giles. At first, it had been weird to have the mother of one of her good friends be a teacher. But then she realized that Angel's mom was going to treat the class just like she treated Willow and the gang outside of school – in a laid-back, yet authoritative manner. Jenny asked how things were, and Will gave a brief answer before looking around the room. She caught sight of the boys she was looking for, and blushed slightly, before continuing her scan of the room. After all, she couldn't let anyone know that she was looking for Daniel Osbourne and not a seat. Luckily, there was a seat next to "Oz," as he was called, and Willow dropped into the chair hoping she seemed nonchalant about her choice. The guitarist looked up and gave her a timid smile before turning back to the computer screen.

"So… your hair is blue today," Will tried to strike up a conversation with her crush. He merely nodded. The girl sighed and gave up for the moment, turning instead to her own program. Each of their fingers flew over the keyboards as they demonstrated their computer prowess that had landed them in this advanced class.

Jenny was watching from the front of the room. Having known Willow Rosenberg for almost 13 years, she could tell that the girl was in serious like with the boy next to her. She had watched Will attempt to strike up conversations with the characteristically monosyllabic Oz for several weeks, and finally decided to give her a break.

"Class, I want you to finish up whatever program you're writing as soon as possible. I'll give you the first 20 minutes of class to do this. Then I have a new project for us all to begin." The class, which was really only about 10 people, diligently got to work. After they had all looked up expectantly at the teacher, she proceeded to explain the new project. "You all are in this class because you're exceptionally skilled with computers. However, I know from personal experience that being good online doesn't necessarily make you a whiz at social situations. This next assignment is going to consist of partner work. And because I want you all to broaden your horizons, I'm going to assign the partners."

The class sort of goggled at their instructor, in a slight case of shock at this completely new idea. Willow giggled to herself, and hoped against hope that whatever Powers-That-Be existed took pity on her. When Jenny announced her partnership with Oz, she almost fell out of her chair with amazed joy. It looked like the next few weeks would be quite fun.

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Xander made it through most of the day without thinking about the girl he loved to tease. But when he walked into his history class that he shared with his group of friends as well as Cordelia, he had some problems. Willow was talking to Buffy in an excited whisper about how she was going to work with some guy on a computer program. Angel leaned in to hear, since his mom was the one teaching the course. That left Xander to stare at the loud, obnoxious, gorgeous brunette currently surrounded by her group of friends – known as the Cordettes.

_'I really need to get over this slightly masochistic tendency to crush on mean, selfish, popular girls. I should've learned my lesson after Ampata. As soon as she wasn't the new girl from South America anymore, she ditched me for better boys. Oh well, Xand, at least you're not at that school anymore and the only ones who know of that humiliation are your friends – who would never tease you about it._' Abruptly, Xander realized that Angel had invited them all to hang out, but Willow had declined. He really didn't want to be hanging around all the angst and tension flying; he had enough of that in his head. Besides, maybe the time alone would allow Buffy and Angel to figure out their feelings for each other – finally.

When Buffy and Angel each realized that they would be spending a hang-out day alone together for the first time in almost a month, neither of them really knew what to think.

_'Oh God! I hope I can control myself. I better constantly be checking to see that there's no drool. I wish I had to courage Willow has – she at least is trying to start something with her crush. Although, granted, she hasn't been best friends with him since age five. That tends to put a damper on the "trying to strike up a conversation" pick up thing. Keep it together, Buffy. You don't want to spoil your friendship now – especially if he's going to cave and date Cordelia.'_

_'Oh no… no, no, no. This wasn't supposed to happen. Everyone was supposed to come over. We haven't been alone in a long time. Ever since that winter day, we both seem to be a lot more into groups. But wait – maybe it's a sign. Maybe this means that I should just suck it up and have the balls to ask her out. We've been friends for so long, it shouldn't mess things up too much. Right?'_

Angel and Buffy walked home together after the school day was over. They had parted with Willow and Xander a few blocks back, and now they were trudging along in a somewhat awkward, yet somewhat comfortable silence. Finally, Buffy started babbling about some new guy in one of her classes. He was from Iowa, and he seemed kinda dorky. When Angel didn't laugh like she had expected, she glanced over to see a funny expression on his face. She realized that talking about a new boy sometimes meant having a crush on him, so she tried to backtrack by saying how the kid couldn't even talk to a girl without blushing. After another few minutes of silence, she changed the subject again. By the time they reached Angel's house, things were seemingly back to normal.

They hung out for a few hours. Since Jenny was a teacher, she made them do at least some of their homework before having fun. After doing a worksheet about the book they were reading in English, they debated watching a movie or hanging out outside. Finally, they decided since it was such a gorgeous spring day, they would play cards on the deck. They giggled as they played Go Fish, something they hadn't done since they were about 11. Kathy, Angel's little sister, came out to watch for a bit, before feigning disinterest. She and Dawn were both at the stage where nothing their older siblings did was cool – especially if it was together.

After Buffy had kicked Angel's butt at the card game, she looked at the time and said that she should probably be heading home.

"Wait…" Angel said, before she could go inside to get her stuff. "There's something I wanna say." A thousand thoughts raced through both their minds in those few seconds before he opened his mouth again. He debated whether or not telling her how much he loved her was a good idea. She wondered how she would cover her pain and disappointment if he mentioned anything about wanting to date Cordelia. Finally, he said "You're my best friend. And I'm so glad you came over that day." Buffy waited, almost as if she was expecting more. But then he just smiled and hugged her tight, and she realized that was all. She was his best friend. She said, "Me too. I mean, you're my best friend too." Before she grabbed her bag and left.

**A/N 3**: So… what does everyone think? I hope it's a decent continuation, since it has been so long. Please review and let me know if you like where I'm going, or if I should just abandon this idea altogether. Thanks!!!


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A/N: This chapter covers the response to the end of the last, and develops a few new things. However, it is not in chronological order. Each section begins and ends around roughly the same time – focusing on a new character or set of characters each time. So, for example, the first two sections are Buffy and Angel. Buffy's section starts right after she leaves Angel's house, and ends when she goes to bed. Then Angel's section is happening at the same time… and so on. I hope that's not too confusing. Thanks for the support from everyone, and enjoy the new chappy!

'_italics'_ means thoughts

"normal" means speech/dialogue

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Buffy ran into her room, ignoring both her sister and her mom when they said hi and asked how her day was. She threw her bag down on the desk chair, then collapsed on her bed, barely holding back the tears. She wondered to herself if she was over-reacting to Angel's comment. '_I'm sure he didn't mean it offensively. He probably thought it was a wonderful compliment – best friend. But how can I not be upset when I want so much more than that? I want to be his girlfriend AND his best friend. Not just the one. And if I was forced to choose between one and the other, I think I'd give up best friend titles in a heartbeat for the girlfriend label. Grrr. Why are boys so stupid? Why am I so stupid for falling in love with my best friend anyway?_'

Buffy immediately called Willow to vent her frustration and hurt. However, when the perky red-head answered the phone sounding mildly happy, Buffy couldn't bring herself to ruin her friend's mood. Instead, she covered her feelings; when Will asked about what she and Angel had done that day, the blonde only talked about homework and Go Fish. In the middle of the conversation, Willow's doorbell rang, and Buffy used that as an excuse for the phone call to end. She went downstairs to distract herself from her thoughts. She sat on the couch with Joyce and Dawn, and the three females watched a TV show about sister witches until it was dinner time. Dinner was a quiet affair, due to the fact that both sister and mother seemed to respect Buffy's need to not talk about what was bothering her. After dinner, she finished her homework and went to bed, hoping to not dream about the tall, dark, studly boy across the street. She wasn't at all sure how she would face him the next day at school.

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Angel watched Buffy run out the house, and wondered if he had said something wrong. He had been so close to telling her how he really felt, that he wanted to date her, but at the last moment he had been so nervous and afraid of rejection that he had settled for saying she was his best friend. '_Which is true – cuz she is. But I want her to be my best friend AND something more. I want to be able to talk to her about anything, like we already do. Annnd I want to be able to kiss her whenever I feel like it. Grrr. I'm such an idiot._' Angel went through the rest of the evening belittling himself inside his head. Both of his parents, Jenny and Rupert, as well as little sis Kathy wondered if he was ok, but they didn't push. Kathy started to be her annoying little sibling self, but Angel just glared at her and walked into his room, shutting the door. He get ready for bed, then lay down watching TV until it was time to sleep, hoping whatever was on would keep him from dreaming about his petite, blonde, gorgeous girl across the street. He wasn't at all sure how he would face her the next day at school.

"I wonder what that was all about," Rupert said to his wife. She smiled gently at her clueless husband, and nodded indiscreetly towards their daughter. The little brunette girl flounced away, irritated that one of her favorite pastimes – annoying her big brother – was temporarily not an option for amusing herself. Instead of hanging out with her parents, as cool as they were (well, as cool as her mom was anyway – although her dad wasn't _too_ bad), she went to her room and played games on her computer.

"Giles, darling – do you really not know what's going on?" the computer teacher asked her husband, addressing him by his nickname of their last name.

"If I did, do you really think I would've wondered aloud about it?"

"Well, at first I thought you'd done that just for Kathy's benefit. So she wouldn't pester us with questions about why Angel was behaving so strangely. But as soon as I noticed you were cleaning your glasses, I realized you were being serious. Buffy was here this afternoon."

Giles blinked rapidly at his wife's seemingly abrupt change of subject. "That's nice," he replied. "But what about why Angel is behaving this way?"

Jenny's robust laugh burst out – startling the British librarian. It always surprised him when the petite brunette found something amusing. She seemed so frail when you looked at her. And even though he knew she was tough, her voice was soft and gentle, still giving the appearance of delicacy. But when she laughed – it was a burst of joy that spread throughout a room. He smiled as he thought to himself about how he had fallen in love with her the first time she laughed.

"Because Buffy was here this afternoon." Giles came back into the conversation at hand. Noticing his still confused expression, Jenny continued. "They've been friends for so long. He doesn't know how to handle these new feelings he's developed towards her. Or rather, he's not sure if he wants to make them known. And while I'm not 100 positive, I think Buffy returns his feelings. Only they're both so preoccupied with hiding how they feel, they're completely oblivious to the fact that the other feels the same way."

"Jenny, I'm not _that_ clueless. I was aware of how Angel feels towards his best friend. He's felt that way for a couple years now. Which is why I have no idea why tonight he's acting differently than normal."

"Well, darling husband of mine, I can answer that. I happened to be standing by the door when Buffy was getting ready to leave. And since it was such a lovely spring day, the screen door was being used. So I happened to overhear our confused son tell his girl how they were best friends. Naturally, Buffy responded in kind. But because I was there, I also happened to notice their facial expressions – that wonderful teen mix of hurt and longing and utter confusion. Their afternoon ended when Buffy ran home, and Angel looked ready to kick himself."

"Ah." Giles' non-committal response encompassed a world of emotions in the tiny syllable. "I suppose that'll make for an interesting day at school tomorrow. Make sure you keep me updated, dearest."

Jenny smiled and nodded, as she got up to go to bed. She threw a sultry look over her shoulder and had her husband scurrying behind her. They stopped to check on their kids, to find Angel asleep with the TV on and Kathy with a book on her face and the bedside lamp still beaming. They fixed their children, then went chuckling softly into their bedroom.

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Willow just knew something was wrong with Buffy. It didn't matter that her friend was trying to hide it –they'd been friends since birth almost. It didn't even matter what words she was saying, Buff's tone said enough about her dismal mood. Willow asked about her afternoon with Angel, and when her blonde friend didn't say anything that would have been a reason for being so upset, Willow realized that she probably didn't want to talk about it. She was more than willing to change the subject, and was searching for a topic that wouldn't add to the depression ('_So the Oz discussion is out for the moment – we don't want to talk about my boy if hers is upsetting her._') when the doorbell rang. The redhead was more than willing to let her mom answer it and keep talking, but Buffy used the noise to end the conversation. Which turned out to be just as well, because a moment later, Willow was called downstairs to see to her "visitor."

'_I wonder who could be here to see me. It's obviously not Buff, because no matter how awesome she is, she can't be in two places at once. Plus, she doesn't need to ring the doorbell. And neither does Xander, or even Angel. Although Angel still does, cuz he's such a polite guy. But Mom would've just sent him up to my room, not called me down. I don't really have any other female friends, at least none that would visit me at home. Hmmm….. It's not any of the boys from the computer class, because they're all smart enough to not need any hel-_' Willow stopped thinking, stopped moving, and almost stopped breathing when she saw who was standing in her foyer.

The blue-haired boy turned and smiled hesitantly at Willow, who was standing looking shocked on the stairs. A minute too late, she recovered and pretended that there was absolutely nothing odd about her crush standing in her house. She walked gracefully down to the landing and stood in front of Oz, smiling at him.

"What are you doing here? Not that you can't be here, I mean, just I… Did you need something?"

Oz chuckled at the nervousness of the cute computer nerd. "I was thinking we should get together to talk about that project for class. So I figured – why not get started as soon as possible. Then we can get it over with and spend the rest of the time doing fun things." Willow's face fell as she misinterpreted the meaning behind his words. "Oh no! I don't mean to imply that I don't want to work with you. Just, I hate projects. I'd rather focus on things I enjoy doing. We can do fun things together too, when the project is over."

Willow's face was almost comical in its transformation from hurt to understanding to amazement. She couldn't believe that her crush was talking about willingly spending time with her. Not to mention the fact that he had just said more than she had ever heard come out of his mouth in the entire time they'd been in school together. Daniel Osbourne was the poster boy for monosyllabic.

"That would be nice. Working together after the project is over," she said in a small voice. They stood there, grinning at each other, until Mrs. Rosenberg walked back into the foyer and reminded Willow that even though it was for school, no boys were allowed in her room after 6 pm. So they had better hurry if they wanted to get anything done on the computer there. They headed upstairs.

After a few hours of working together, they decided to finish for the day and work on the rest at school. Willow saved their program, and copied it to 2 discs. She wanted to make sure they wouldn't lose all the work they'd done. She gave one disc to Oz, and kept the other for herself. She then walked him to the door and said goodbye. There was a brief, awkward hug handshake mix-up, but eventually Oz left without too much embarrassment on either side. Willow shut the door, then stood staring at it romantically for 10 minutes. When the family sat down to dinner, both parents noticed their daughter's dreaminess. Smiling, indulgently, Mrs. Rosenberg contented herself with talking to her husband, and let her little girl daydream.

When Willow went to bed, she couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if Oz and she were dating. Obviously, he wasn't completely disinterested in her. Of course, wanting to work together in a class they shared didn't necessarily mean he felt the same way that she did. But it was a start. Maybe if they worked together enough, he would eventually feel something more. She smiled. School tomorrow was gonna be interesting.

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"I'll be back when I'm back!" Xander yelled as he slammed out of his house. His parents were fighting again, and he just couldn't handle being at home. He decided to roam the streets, maybe head to the Bronze. Although the club wasn't nearly as fun when you weren't hanging out with your friends. And he sure as heck didn't want to bother Buffy or Willow, or even Angel. So Xander wandered from one street to the next. His thoughts circled through his day, school, home, a little homework. Listening to music, which was one of his favorite pastimes, until his parents came home and started banging around upstairs. They had been in another fight the morning before they left, and it seemed like today was one of the days where they held that grudge. Sometimes, they'd come home and make up. He didn't really like they way they acted then either, all simpering and sweet. But it was better than the fights, with the screaming and the throwing things. He wasn't sure how much longer he could take it.

Eventually, Xander stopped thinking about the mystery that was his parents; instead, his thoughts drifted towards the brunette cheerleader he had recently realized he had feelings for. He chuckled to himself as he thought about how emotionally he was still in 5th grade. Instead of flirting and complimenting the girl he liked, he resorted to name calling and insults. Add in a hair pull or two, and he'd be 10 years old again. Luckily, he had a little bit of restraint. Otherwise, he'd probably get slapped. Not for pulling her hair, but for touching it without permission.

He fantasized as he walked, imagining that one day she'd realize that even though he wasn't the most popular or the best at sports (hell, he wasn't even _in_ sports), he was witty and funny and would make a great boyfriend. He could just imagine her voice, saying how she didn't know how she could have been so wrong about him, and how she didn't care…

"...what my friends think. I tell them what to think, not the other way around." Xander thought he was going crazy, cuz suddenly he was hearing her voice outside his head too. Then he realized that he had walked towards the Bronze without realizing it. Of course, Cordelia was there. It was a weeknight in Sunnydale, and there were no huge tests the next day in school. Even if there had been tests in school, Cordy probably would've shown at the club anyway. He smiled to himself, as he stood in the shadows, listening to her talk, pretending she was talking to him. A low voice murmured something, and both Cordy and the voice laughed. He realized he was getting excited, thinking they were doing something sexual. Until the girl's chuckles turned into gasps of pain, and whimpers.

"No! Stop! I said you could walk me home, not get to home plate!" Xander grinned as he thought about how she was being a smartass even when she was being threatened. Then the fact that she _was being threatened_ kicked into his brain. He ran around the corner, bursting out of the shadows to find Cordelia sprawled on the ground with some guy pawing at her dress on top of her. He let his momentum carry his body towards the guy, tackling him off the brunette cheerleader and onto to pavement. The guy hit with a grunt, and Xander jumped up before retaliation could happen. He kicked the guy in the stomach, then grabbed Cordelia to help her up.

She was staring at him in shock. Alexander Harris had just rescued her. She looked back at the big football player she had almost lost something precious to, and whimpered in fear as she saw him getting up with anger burning in his eyes. Xander heard the noise, and turned to see what was bothering her. He let the guy land a punch while he made sure that Cordy was safely hidden. Then, Xander turned to defend himself as best he could. He wasn't skilled at fighting, but he was quite quick in dodging, especially coming from the home life he did. He ducked and scurried, while the bigger boy's fists and feet smashed into brick walls. After 10 minutes, the beefy athlete had bloody knuckles and was limping, while Xander only had the one bruised cheek. He hurried to Cordelia's hiding spot and picked her up to walk her home.

When the idiot who had tried to hurt both of them started to follow them, Xander decided that the time for "just avoiding" was over. It was time to actively participate – by running. He picked Cordy up in a firefighter's hold and sprinted down the street. He could hear the footsteps of the football player running behind them, but Xander was faster, even with a girl in his arms. He gained enough distance that when he ducked into an abandoned warehouse, the big guy had no idea where they had disappeared to. Xander and Cordy huddled together until they could no longer hear footsteps of any kind.

Xander poked his head out to see if the coast was clear. Without a word, he grabbed Cordelia's hand and held it while he walked her safely home. Due to the trauma, there was no protestation from the popular girl who normally abhorred being seen with "lower class" boys. She was thinking about the difference between the two boys. Even though Gary had been an "acceptable" date, being a football player and popular, he had also turned out to be a complete asshole whose only thoughts were about getting in her pants. Then here was this dorky somewhat unpopular boy (though, he wasn't at the complete bottom of the social ladder) who had rescued her with almost no thought of himself. Maybe she had misjudged him.

When they arrived at the door, Xander turned to her and asked if she was ok. Lost in her thoughts, she simply nodded meekly, then leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek. Unsure of what she was doing, he turned into her face, and their lips ended up touching. The shock of even that brief meeting tore through both of them. They stared at each other, until Cordy grabbed him and turned them into the porch wall, kissing him more fully. A few minutes later, sanity returned and they realized what they were doing. They pulled apart rapidly, and straightened their clothes.

"Thanks for rescuing me. I know I haven't been that nice to you since we started junior high, and yet you helped me anyway."

"I hate boys who try to take advantage, even if the girl sometimes looks like she deserves it. Just because a girl dresses in a way that makes boys drool, it doesn't mean she wants those clothes to be torn off unwillingly." Xander managed to put both respect and reproof into his statement.

"Yeah, well… thanks again. I'll be nice to you in school tomorrow." After leaning forward to give him a brief kiss on the cheek ('_What are you doing girl? That's what got you into this mess in the first place. Maybe that's why I'm doing it.'_) Cordelia turned and disappeared into her house. Xander grinned at the world and practically skipped home. He knew it was a slightly girly thing to do, but he couldn't help it. Even if nothing ever happened again, he still knew what it was like to make out with Cordelia Chase. School was going to be very interesting tomorrow.

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**Let me know what you think! I hope I did ok. I sorta borrowed a tiny bit of the Xander/Cordy plotline from "Veronica Mars" just in case anyone recognizes it. It's a typical story feature, but I know that subconsciously, that's where I got my idea. LOL. Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the story. And if anyone thinks that someone is _too_ out of character or something, please let me know. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

A/N: So it's been quite a few months since I've written. I think I mentioned a few chapters ago that I was writing while classes were light at the beginning of a new semester. Then they got harder. LOL. Summer was crazy busy (had my wisdom teeth out) and I decided to at least get a few more chapters in before the coming semester gets harder like before. Please review and let me know how I'm doing.

'_italics_' means thoughts

"…" means dialogue

--

Everyone was looking forward to school today – or at least thinking how interesting it was going to be. Buffy and Angel were confused and angst-filled at the thought of seeing the other. Willow was really excited to work with Oz on their school project, and possibly further their maybe-sorta-possible relationship. She was also kinda worried about Buffy, and wanted to chat with her gal pal and make sure everything was mostly ok. Xander was anxious about seeing Cordelia; he wondered if she would keep her promise and be nice to him still. Even Jenny wondered how the teens would all react to each other. It promised to be an interesting day.

--

Buffy decided to walk to school instead of getting a ride with Angel, like she normally did. She didn't think she could handle being in a car with him while dealing with the idea of being _just_ his best friend. _'Then again, maybe it's for the best. I mean, did I really want to waste my life pining over my best friend who might never return those feelings. I should really at least try to move on. I was talking about that new guy Riley yesterday. Maybe I would have a crush on him if I weren't so wrapped up in Angel. Something to think about.'_

The rest of the way to school, Buffy wondered if being pretty much in love with one person meant that your radar was turned off for other people. But that didn't always make sense, because sometimes you loved more than one person. Maybe not the same way or the same amount, but it was possible. _'Maybe I'm just not built like that though. Maybe I'm the kind of person who has to consciously decide to be looking for someone, or else my 'hey they're attractive' gear isn't working. So if I decide, right now, on the way to school, on a seemingly average day, if I decide that I'm not going to spend so much time wishing that Angel loved me, perhaps someone else will interest me.'_ Buffy was so intrigued by her thoughts that she made it to school before she even realized that she had forgotten to call Angel to tell him not to pick her up. Oops.

--

Angel waited for Buffy outside her house for 10 minutes before he finally rang the doorbell. Joyce answered, looking confused. She told him that Buffy had decided to walk today, and that her daughter had said she was going to call and let Angel know not to wait for her. Angel played it off like maybe Jenny had taken the call and forgotten to mention it; since Joyce herself often did this, she easily believed it. In actuality though, he knew his mother would never forget something that important and he had a sinking feeling that Buffy was avoiding him. _'I think I offended her yesterday with that talk of best friends. I don't know how though; even if it wasn't what I really wanted to say, it should have made her happy. I know she's been a bit worried that Cordelia would chase after me too much and ruin our friend time. Even though I know I'm only interested in Buffy herself and not some stuck-up girl who only cares what other popular people think of her.'_

Angel continued the drive to school in silence, thinking about how to try to get his easy camaraderie back with his Buffy. He thought about pretending nothing had changed, that he hadn't said anything the day before. He thought about talking about it, asking what had upset her and trying to make it better. He thought about telling her what he had originally wanted to say, that he thought he maybe loved her. In the end, he decided to just act like nothing unusual had happened. He came to this decision right as he pulled into his parking spot, just 2 spaces down from Willow. He waved to her and waited for her to catch up so that they could walk into school together.

--

"So Angel, what's with the thinking brain before classes even have started? I mean, _I'm_ usually the one who's all deep and thoughtful. The rest of you brainiacs only show your genius in class." Willow smiled to soften the teasing. She was in a great mood today, looking forward to spending more time with Oz and working on the program.

"How did you even know I was thinking Willow? Maybe I just hadn't had my coffee yet." The dark-haired boy looked confused.

"First of all, your parents would never let you get behind the wheel of any vehicle until you'd had your morning cup o'java. You don't even make any sense until you've had your first sip of caffeine. Secondly, there was no music blasting. Even when Buffy is in the car and you have conversation, there's always some kind of music playing from your radio or CD player or whatever. Speaking of the Buffster, where is she? Why didn't she ride in with you this morning?"

Angel looked slightly impressed that his friend would have noticed so much about him. Even though they were semi-close, it had started out only because they were both friends with Buffy. He would consider Willow a good friend of his, but he hadn't known she felt the same until that moment.

"I'm not quite sure. I mean, sometimes she decides to go on a health kick and walk to school, but she usually calls. This morning I had to ask Joyce and then pretend my mom forgot to tell me. It's so not like Buffy. I remember, this one time we were fighting and so she didn't want to ride to school with me. She told me in Morse code with a flashlight. I didn't even know she knew Morse code until--"

Willow was looking at her friend while he was talking, and it was a good thing she was. Otherwise, she never would have seen his face as he stopped midsentence. He looked like a fish gasping for the oxygen in water, and only finding plain old air. Following his shocked gaze, she was shocked herself to see Buffy chatting with the new guy from Iowa. _'What is she doing? Did we wake up in bizarre-world or something? Maybe she's been taken by the body snatchers. First, she doesn't tell Angel she's walking to school. Then we get here and see her flirting with some random boy. If she's trying to make Angel jealous, she's doing a great job of mixing that with hurt.'_

Willow called to her friend and walked over just as Riley Finn was leaving. The farm boy had a slightly lovesick look on his face as he wandered dazedly towards the school building. The redhead glanced behind her to make sure Angel wasn't there before asking her blonde friend what was going on. Buffy glanced past Willow before saying she'd tell her later. Then she called to Angel about being so sorry, that she had totally spaced on the way to school and forgotten to tell him she didn't need a ride. Willow picked up on the tension between her friends, but Buffy was doing a great job of pretending it didn't exist. What in the world was going on?

--

Xander got to school really early, like usual. He hated the actual classes and most of the teachers and especially the principal, but he loved being out of his house. The building itself was kinda like a refuge – no parents bickering, no flying crockery, no ducking from fists. He usually just listened to music, or read a fun book, then doubled back around and pretended to be late to all his friends. Most of them knew a little about his home situation, but they didn't really know how much he hated being in that house. So imagine his surprise when he got to school his usual hour early and found Cordelia Chase waiting for him.

"Hi," she said, almost nervously. "I hope you don't mind me meeting you here. I've noticed you coming around the school sometimes, and I figured you wait here until it's a good time to pretend you've gotten to school." Xander was shocked that this girl he'd been crushing on would notice something that even his closest friends hadn't. Or maybe they had noticed and just were too tactful to comment on it. Tact certainly wasn't Cordy's strong point. She was much more direct and straightforward.

"Yeah, well, it's better than being at home." Cordelia looked almost sympathetic at his statement, before he rapidly changed the subject. "So what can I do you for?"

'_Did I really just say that? How retarded are you Xander? I mean, especially after what almost happened to her last night, to just be so casual about a sex joke. Unless maybe that's what she needs. Casual sex. Wait, that didn't come out right, even in my head. Not that I wouldn't be willing, cuz I'm a guy and she's gorgeous and has a great body. And wow, Xander, could you have gotten any more distracted?'_ He tuned back into the conversation just in time to hear Cordy say thanks one more time for rescuing her the night before. He smiled his goofy smile, before telling her it's what any good guy would do.

"Yeah, well, I don't date many good guys." Xander stared at her, wondering if she had truly meant to say the word date. "But I was thinking, maybe we could try it. In secret for a little while. If it doesn't work out, I don't want my friends to know what happened. But who knows. Maybe it will be good."

"I… I … I think I would like that." Xander stuttered. "I won't ditch my friends for you though, no matter how pretty and sexy you are. I'm not that kind of--" Xander's words were cut off as Cordelia's mouth descended on his. They made out frantically, before realizing that people were starting to arrive at school. They kissed hungrily one more time before breaking apart and going their separate ways, without another word.

--

Buffy and Angel walked into English class together. Buffy was chatting animatedly, like there was nothing wrong. Angel was trying to figure out what was going on. They sat in their usual seats by the window, somewhat surprised when Cordelia waltzed in without attempting to flirt with Angel. They made it through the boring class, somewhat glad that Jenny had made them do the homework the night before. They parted ways before meeting back up again at lunch. Nothing seemed to be different, but both Willow and Xander noticed how strained Buffy's smile was. Neither said anything, but they had an eye conversation and decided that Willow was the best person to talk to Buffy about it.

Willow finished lunch hurriedly, and dragged Buffy off when she realized the blonde wasn't eating. They went to the girls' bathroom, checking the stalls to make sure they were alone.

"Alright, girly girl. What the heck is going on with you today? First you're all spacey with the car ride, then you're chatting up some gangly new kid, then you're smiling so hard I think your mouth might break. What is the deal with you and Angel?"

"He told me I was his best friend. In that voice of his that says there's no room for change. I couldn't deal with it or him this morning, but on the way to school I decided to try to move on. I can't just keep waiting around for him to change his mind. It hurts too much. And I won't give up my friendship with him. It's all I have left. So I'm gonna pretend everything is fine until the end of the world." Buffy then burst into tears. Willow held her while her best friend cried, and decided that now was most definitely _not_ the time to talk about her potentially happy boy issues.

They headed back to the lunch table, where Willow shook her head the teeniest bit at Xander. Always clever with hiding what was really going on in his mind, the brunette boy started talking about how much he hated science class. Lunch split his lecture and his lab, so the happy eating time was forever surrounded by the dreadful chemistry. Soon the table was giggling and pretending that everything was fine.

--

Willow ducked quickly into the bathroom to check her outfit and hair before heading to the computer lab. _'What am I doing? I never care about superficial things like that. I look however I look, and if people can't deal with that then it's their problem. But, oh, I really want Oz to like me. And I guess if primping just a little bit helps, then I'm willing to do it. But not too much. I don't want to become like Queen C.'_

The redhead walked calmly into the classroom, smiled at her blue-haired partner, and took a seat next to him. All the while, her heart was pounding, but no one needed to know that but her. That it, no one knew until she dropped her pencil and both she and Oz reached to pick it up. As they both leaned down, his hand brushed her wrist and her pulse pounded beneath his palm. He grinned at her, handed her the pencil, and then turned to the computer screen. Willow sat there, flustered and confused. Was his grin making fun of her? Was it simply a casual friendly smile? Or, hope beyond hope, was it something more?

Before Willow could wonder anymore, Jenny walked in and told them all to get to work on their partnered project. Once Willow and Oz got sucked into the program, she didn't worry at all about the boy. He was simply a collaborator and she was getting really excited about what they were doing. When Jenny told them to wrap it up and take the final 10 minutes for free time, Willow didn't hear her. Oz gently touched her shoulder and told her that they could stop for the day. When he didn't move his hand after he was done talking, she began to wonder about his motives again. She didn't have to wonder much longer when he asked if she wanted to meet him at the Bronze that night. Grinning so widely she was sure the entire class knew what was going on, she happily told him yes.

--

Xander was walking down the hall during his free period when someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a closet. He didn't have long to wonder about who it was before lips attacked his and long brunette hair cascaded around him as toned arms wrapped around his waist. He grinned to himself as he thought about the fact that Cordelia Chase had pulled him into a janitor's closet to make out. No one would believe this unless they saw it. He didn't care though; he knew it was happening and that was all that mattered.

--

Buffy caught up to Angel after school. "So, even though I didn't get a ride this morning, is it ok if you take me home?"

"Well, gosh, let me think. I'm driving to a house directly across from yours, but I think it's just too far out of my way to take you home." Angel said sarcastically, grinning because things were pretty much normal. As long as he could contain his rapidly pounding heart.

Buffy waited until they were in the car before she brought up Riley. "So you know that new kid, the one from Iowa? He asked me out today." After much thought about Angel's statement yesterday, this was what Buffy had come up with. If he wanted to be her best friend, then they would be best friends. This was what best friends did – talked about dates, who they liked, and all that other stuff that the two of them talked about anyway. _'When you think about it, the only thing that we never talked about before was boys and girls. He never told me when he was interested in anyone, and I never did either. Of course, I was pretty much only interested in him, but still. This is normal, best friendy stuff.'_

"Do you like him? I mean, are you thinking about saying yes?" Buffy tilted her head as she detected a note in Angel's voice that was never there before. It almost sounded like… jealousy. But that wasn't true. Unless he was jealous of Riley taking away some best friend time.

"I don't know. He seems nice enough. I don't really know him all that well. He just moved here and I only have one class with him."

--

Angel couldn't figure out what the hell was going on. Why did she pick today of all days to talk about her boy issues? _'You know the answer to that, dumbass. It's because you told her she's your best friend. And what do best friends do? Talk about crushes and dates and all that other stuff. So, as her best friend, what would my response be?'_

"I think you should go for it. I mean, you never know. He could turn out to be really great and you should give him a chance." It was killing him to say this, but he had brought it upon himself. He should have told her he wanted more than friendship when he had the chance. Now he was torturing himself by being the best friend and telling the girl he loved to go on a date with someone else.

--

Buffy once again heard the tone of jealousy in Angel's voice as he answered. She had been hoping that he would tell her she was crazy for thinking of dating someone else when he was the one who was madly in love with her. But of course, that was just her little fantasy. _'He's just your best friend, Buff. Remember that. And maybe he's right about Riley. You should give the guy a chance – because obviously Angel isn't going to want you back anytime soon.'_

"Yeah," she said dejectedly. Even having decided to take Angel's advice, she couldn't drum up any fake enthusiasm about the date. "I guess I'll call him when I get home and tell him to meet me at the Bronze tonight."

--

Angel heard the slight sadness in Buffy's voice, but wasn't quite sure what it meant. They arrived home a few minutes later, and he didn't want to ruin anything by bringing it up now. She had already been pissed at him last night, and he didn't want that to happen two nights in a row. They opened the car doors and started to head to their respective houses.

"Hey Buff." He waited until she turned. "You know you're my best friend, right?" _'Why am I torturing myself by asking this ridiculous question again? But I have to play off yesterday, and pretend like I'm happy for her.'_

Buffy smiled back at him and nodded. "And you're mine," she said, with that slight sadness in her voice yet again. She headed across the street, and he headed inside.


End file.
